A Little of This and A Lot of That Book Blog

We are two insane avid readers. We have lots of opinions about our fictional book friends and decided our very own book blog was the perfect outlet. While Laura reads more Sci Fi / Mystery, Shannon leans to the romance (and let's be honest smexy smut). We both meet in the middle with our obsession for YA series intended for 15 year olds (Don't Judge :) ). So with a little of this and a lot of that our blog was born. Hope you enjoy our opinions and have fun sharing our love of a good book!

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Monday, December 15, 2014

It's really hard to put into words how much I adored this series. It is so different than anything out there right now so it's hard to even describe. Ok I'm lying it's easy to describe....heart-pounding PERFECTION!!!! If you have not started the Gypsy Brothers series then you obviously haven't read my 6 previous reviews on this series from books 1-6 because I've been saying for months.... READ IT like now!!. One Love was super hard for me to finish... and not because it wasn't .... PERFECTION... but because I didn't want it to end!!!!!! I feel like I've lost a piece of my sanity reading this series from every crazy twist and turn and heart wrenching scene... and guess what? I really don't want it back... Keep my sanity and give me more JASE and ELLIOT!!! I want to keep on fighting the Gypsy Brothers and the Cartel right along with Jase, Julz and Elliot... but all great things must have closure and Lili has given us just that. I loved ever one of these and have a feeling I will be doing a binge 1-7 full read through here before long just to say hey to my favorite band revenge seekers. Easiest 5 stars for sure!! If you haven't started the Gypsy Brothers series then you are in luck because 7 Sons just happens to be free right now so get on it and enjoy!! Then move right along to grab up One Love to see it all wrapped up in a bloody mess of a bow!

Synopsis:

Will Julz complete her mission for vengeance against the Gypsy Brothers? Or is Dornan still one step ahead?

More shocking secrets will come to light and lives will be lost in this final, devastating instalment of the Gypsy Brothers series

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Wow! Brenda has once again delivered a love story that gives me "THE FEELS" ;) .. Brenda has somehow managed to make each one of the Fire on Ice books better than the last and each guy more loveable. After Drive I didn't think there was a way you could top Niko in my book but Orion has done it. I also have to add that I absolutely love that the heroines in this series. They are all super likeable and Samara was a great addition to the group of lovely ladies that these awesome guys fall in love with. There is nothing that bothers me more than when the hero ends up with a girl that makes me want to pull my hair out so thank you for that. 5 HUGE stars for this Epic ending to a wonderful series. I loved it and will sing from the mountain tops your praises!!.. Also be on the look out for the next great series On The Line by Brenda coming in February 2015. We are leaving the NHL and going down to the Minors and I have a feeling there will be nothing Minor about it!!!

Synopsis:

NHL player Orion Caldwell protects his own. He’s an enforcer to his core, but he was the one left defenseless when his longtime girlfriend broke his heart. Now he’s all about his game, but spending the offseason in his hometown forces him to confront painful issues –both old and new.

Samara Cross just wants to be invisible. After living a nightmare, she came back to her hometown seeking solace. But her quiet new life is upturned by the hot, charismatic hockey player who’s taken a sudden interest in her.

Orion and Samara find something unexpected in each other, but when the hockey offseason ends, so does their time together. They struggle with their separation, confronted by ghosts of the past and an uncertain future, discovering that sometimes the only way to hold on to something precious is to let go.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Yay!! I'm so glad I stumbled on this one.. Just reading the synopsis had me 1-Clicking this one right away. There seems to be so much going on in this small town of West Bend behind the scenes and there are a lot of back stories that I want to know like NOW.. but for now let's just discuss River and Elias. River is a rags to riches Hollywood sweetheart. She was discovered at a young age and brought to Hollywood, but leaving behind the small town and poor area she grew up in doesn't change her mother and the way she was raised. Her mother is a manipulator and River has suffered a lot from the time she was young. When she's filming a reality show intro for her wedding day the last thing she plans on walking into is her Rock Star fiance' with her sister. River quickly takes off to Vegas to escape the no doubt media frenzy that is to follow this very public breakup.

Elias has just been medically discharged from the Navy after losing his leg when trying to defuse a bomb. The last thing Elias wants is to head back to West Bend where he has nothing but bad memories of an abusive father. The Saint family infamous and not in a good way so Elias has done his best to stay as far away until now. When celebrating his "retirement" from the military with his friends in Vegas Elias runs into a gorgeous girl in the hallway. She looks familiar but he can't place where he's seen her. The last thing he expected the next day was a media frenzy and the girl from the hall pleading for him to help her escape. From this point it's not hard to figure out that there is some definite chemistry these two share along their road trip to West Bend. There are some really hot scenes in this one. Like for real I don't know what it is about Elias but his crass dirty mouth is super hot!! I'm giving this one 5 Stars for sure. I can't wait for Silas, Luke and Killian's books and to see what craziness is going on with West Bend. Grab this one up.

Wooooowwyy.. Freaking loved this one... Thanks so much Emma for gifting me a copy of this!!.. Great chemistry, plot and perfect ending!!.. I love a story about starting over and reclaiming your life and that is totally this book. Annie had a hard life and always felt like she didn't fit in with her family. When she's reached her limit with work and the shock of losing her parents she decides to grab a bag and travel. With no plan she bounces around until she finally ends up in Australia. Coming from the Midwest she has never seen the ocean and is in awe of Sidney. On her first few days in Sidney she is checking out the beach and tries swimming. When she is swept out with the tide Annie begins to panic and is saved by Cam. Cam is an up and coming professional surfer and is used to girls falling all over themselves to met him. Cam doesn't do relationship but there is something about Annie that he can't stay away from. Such a warm fuzzy read that you will really enjoy. I would give this one 4.5 Stars so grab it up and enjoy!!

Synopsis:

Nobody ever cares about second place. Nashville native, Annie Scott, knows second place well. She has never been anyone’s priority and is sick of being an option. In a snap decision, she flees her hometown for the unknown shores of Sydney, Australia; hoping the enforced solitude will give her back her identity and kick-start a new life. Fate throws her in the path of Cam Hart. The Professional surfer is wallowing in self-pity after his recent embarrassing loss. The idea of losing himself in-between the sheets for some no-strings fun definitely has appeal and Cam believes he has found the perfect girl to distract him. The two drifting souls soon discover their chemistry and passion is more than they bargained for. When fate throws Annie and Cam together, both afraid and uncertain, will they allow themselves to be swept along in the tide of possibility?

I was gifted a copy of this in exchange for my honest review. Thank you very much Renna because this was really a great start to this three part series. Likeable characters that both have some secrets that slowly unravel throughout Part One. Sydney and Gavin have some great scenes and I really look forward to where this is headed with Part Two. I will say my only negative that is keeping me from 5 staring this book would be that I wasn't totally gaga over Gavin. I'm hoping with the next installment I get some more insight into him and really make that connection. All in all I would give this one 4 Stars and will definitely be checking out Part Two when it releases November 14th. Grab it up!!...

Synopsis:

For two years, Sidney Miller ran from life, working one menial job after another to keep herself so busy she would never have to think or feel—or remember the tragedies she’s faced. Her careful plans are abruptly changed when she meets Gavin at the temporary job she’s taken to keep herself busy through the holidays.

Gavin Rogers is only in San Francisco to help his brother’s struggling law firm. With no time—or desire—for relationships, his world is turned upside down when he finds something in his heart for a woman he’s sure he could never be interested in.

4 Stars – I picked up this book a couple of years ago while “Dexter” the TV show was still on Showtime. I am a huge fan of the show so thought I should probably check out the b...ooks the show was based on. Almost exactly a year to the day the show ended I finally decided to read the book.

If you have never seen the show… THEN GO WATCH IT! It is amazing! But before you do that I’ll give you a synopsis of what it is about. Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter analysis for the Miami Police Department. His adopted father, Harry, was a police office and so is his adopted sister, Deb. That is about the only thing they have in common though. Dexter has a dark secret… a secret he calls his “dark passenger”… he is a serial killer. His father recognized this when Dexter was young, and not wanting Dexter to spend the rest of his life in prison or a mental institution, taught him how to kill and get away with it. But, there was one catch. He gave Dexter a code; only kill those who deserve it. Dexter can kill other murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc. but never an innocent. And Dexter always follows Harry’s code. It may seem dark and disturbing but the way that the story is brought to life makes you feel for Dexter. You root for him. You don’t want him to get caught.

I’m not going to lie… I prefer the show to the books. But the show has ended so I have to get my Dexter fix in another way. I definitely plan on finishing reading the series. The first book stuck to the show pretty well (or did the show stick to the book?). There is the same characters you grow to love and hate in the show and the same story lines. I am somewhat hoping that the later books deviate some from the show so I can travel on a new and unknown adventure with Dexter and his dark passenger.

“City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)” – Cassandra Clare 3 Stars – I’ll admit it… I love “The Mortal Instruments” series. I know they are for 16 year old girls but there is something about Cassandra Clare...’s writing that really gets me (I also love her “Infernal Devices” series). But… I was really disappointed with this book.

This was the longest of the books in the series at a whopping 725 pages. That number could have been cut in half if Clare had removed ¾ of the pages where Clare and Jace repeated to each other how much they love each other. Holy cow. We got it. Now let’s move on the THE ACTUAL STORY. When Clare wasn’t busy describing Clare and Jace’s lusty feelings for each other, and actually got down to the Shadowhunters never ending battle with evil, the story was pretty good. I especially enjoyed how she intertwined the “Infernal Devices” characters with the “Mortal Instruments” characters. All in all I would have given this novel 4 stars but I had to detract 1 star just because of the annoyance I had to go through with reading for the 100th time about the googly eyes the main characters where giving each other.

If you have never read any of Cassandra Clare’s books I would highly suggest either one of her series. And if you have already read the first 5 “Mortal Instruments” books then yes, I would suggest reading “City of Heavenly Fire” but be forewarned… you may need to skip a page or ten.